Nightmares in the Dark Dramione
by S. Summers
Summary: The war is over and Ron is dead. Harry and Hermione go back to Hogwarts and she is Head Girl and Malfoy is Head Boy. She has nightmares and when one of her worst fears comes to life, Malfoy's decision to save her puts her in more danger. I dont own HP.
1. Screams

"_Where am I?" I opened my eyes to see a tall dark ceiling above me. I tried to look around more, but I couldn't move my head. _

"_You, mudblood!" I heard a terribly familiar voice shout. Then I realized I was back in the Malfoy Manor, how did I get here? How did Bellatrix come back to life? How did Bellatrix get me here? What did she want? The war was won, why was I in here? "Where's your mummy and daddy? They don't remember you! They don't know who you are! Would you like to see them again?" I felt her yank me off the ground and on to my feet, I saw my parents standing in front of me. _

"_Where are we? Is this Sydney?" They asked each other, "Who are those people?" They looked at me and Bellatrix. _

"_Mum…dad? What are you doing here?" They looked at me quizzingly._

"_Who are you? I've never seen you in my life." What? I still haven't taken off the memory charm yet?_

"_Mum, dad it's me, Hermi-" _

"_Crucio!" I had forgotten Bellatrix was there. My parents screamed in pain, they fell to the ground and squirmed like fish out of water. "Do you miss them? Do you miss your ickle dead boyfriend, Ron Weasley, the blood traitor? Do you _miss _him? Now you have nothing; no parents, no boyfriend, nobody to love you! And it's all your fault!" She laughed and danced in circles around me._

"_No! Mum! Dad! Stop it, you death eater scum! Stop!" I screeched, Bellatrix stopped and looked at me. _

"_Crucio!" I felt that pain again,_ _I couldn't breathe, it felt like somebody was drowning me in boiling water, and at the same time, it felt so cold, like the pain you get when you eat ice cream and it hurts your teeth, but it was my entire body. It felt like my nails were being ripped out of my fingers and toes and that somebody slit my gums open and pulled my teeth out of my mouth, it had felt like years before she stopped, I took a gasp of breath._

"_Mum, dad, help me! Please!" I begged them in tears._

"_We aren't your parents; we don't know who you are. We can't help you, you aren't our daughter." They looked down on me with no pity. Then, they creepily said simultaneously, "You have no parents, they don't remember you, you obliviated their minds yourself, it's your fault their gone." They slowly started to walk towards the door, which I heard someone knocking on quite hard. Bellatrix continued crucioing me, when she finally took a pause, I watched my parents open the door to leave—_

"_Avada kedavra!" I heard Bellatrix shout as I watched a jet of green light travel towards my parents, the parents whom would never remember the daughter who loved them enough to obliviate their own memories of her. _

"Granger! What's going _on_ in there?" I heard someone shouting from outside my door. I looked around; four poster bed, desk, trunk, windows, and a couple of parchments. I was back at Hogwarts…I was safe, Bellatrix was dead, nobody could hurt me, mum and dad were safe in Sydney, I was Head Girl, Ron was—Ron was still dead. I cried into my scarlet sheets, Ron was clubbed by a giant; he didn't die until a day after the war ended. We didn't even know he was dying until Madam Pomfrey took a look at his head contusions and his cracked ribs. His last words were, "Hermione…I love you…oh and I almost forgot… give up on spew…" I had indeed given up on S.P.E.W. after the war was over, first because of Ron, and because there was a law passed that all house elves were to be treated as any wizard or witch. "That's it! Reducto!" My door was blasted to pieces, and somebody ran in, "Granger! Where are you?"

"Reparo," My door immediately put itself back together; I sat up on the edge of my bed, ", gosh, Malfoy there is a reason they keep it locked." I stood up and tried to push the Head Boy out of my room, but he turned around.

"What was going on in here?" He shouted.

"Nothing, I was having a nightmare. Why do you care what happens to me?" I sat back down on the edge of my bed.

"I don't, but if someone finds you dead in your room. Guess who is going to get the blame?" He pointed at himself before storming out the door towards his room. Being Head Girl had perks, like an all year pass into the restricted section, free candy from Honeydukes, and your own room. The only problem was that the Head Boy's room was right next to it, and Malfoy was Head Boy. So every morning and every night, the first and last face I saw other than my own in the mirror was that ferret face of his. I asked Professor McGonagall why she had appointed him as Head Boy, not Harry. All she had to say was that Harry had too much on his hands already, and that Draco did have full marks in each class, he never had detention, and that it's good to have contrasting Heads. I couldn't believe it; she had only been Headmistress for a couple weeks and had already gone mad.


	2. Morning

"Morning, Granger." Malfoy muttered as we walked down the stairs to breakfast. "Did you sleep okay?" he said as though he was teasing me.

"Yes, I slept fine knowing you were right there to save me." I said sarcastically before heading off to the bathroom.

"That's right, I will always be _right there_ in the next room over!" He shouted at me from down the hall.

"Eugh!" I shouted before turning the corner. The first thing I saw was Bellatrix smiling at me. "No!" I screamed, but she vanished before I could say anything else.

"Granger?" I heard Malfoy from the other hall, I heard him walking closer quickly, I ran away towards the bathroom before he would turn the hall to see me in tears. As I ran, Bellatrix kept popping up, laughing. I could hear Ron's voice calling me, "Hermione! How can you live on without me? How could you? You've broken my heart!" I collapsed on the ground in tears, why was this haunting me so much, why was I letting my irrational guilt eat away at me? I opened my eyes to see the ground wet with my tears. I felt someone help me up onto my feet.

"Ron?" I mumbled before looking up into two gray eyes. "Oh, it's you." I wiped my eyes and picked up my bag before rushing off toward the toilets.

"What is _up_ with you lately?" Malfoy grabbed my wrist to stop me. "I mean, you have nightmares, then you start screaming at imaginary people and collapsing in tears-"

"_Maybe_, I've just gone _mad_, and you should just stay out of it." I pulled from his grip and hurried to the toilets.

"Well how can I stay out of it when your waking me up every night screaming so loud you'll kill a banshee!" He shouted after me as I pushed open the bathroom door. After I did my business, I walked toward the sinks to wash my hands. I stared into the mirror; my hair was especially frizzy today. I pulled out a pocket sized bottle of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, I rarely used it, this was the last of it I had after the Yule Ball and Bill and Fleurs wedding, so I only used a finger full. It tamed the frizz just enough to look like my usual bushyness. My eyes had dark circles around them from loss of sleep, it was too bad Lavender was dead, she always carried around cosmetic potions, and was always glad to share (she had too much _not_ to share). Although she had dated Ron, I still missed her; I missed her begging to give me a makeover, I missed her being the first to wake up in the morning so she could 'put her face on', I missed her ranting on about how medieval the whole 'stairs turning to slides' thing was with the dormitory. I missed the old Hogwarts, everybody had to be held back a year due to _interruptions_. So Harry and I decided to come back for our last year, both of our jobs required Hogwarts diplomas. Hogwarts wasn't the same anymore; it looked the same after the Professors spent a week repairing everything down to the last goblet, but lots of people had died, Professor McGonagall tried as hard as she could to keep it as warm and welcoming as the way Dumbledore did, but she sometimes would spend hours in her office taking advice from his portrait. The majority of the students didn't see a difference, but that was because the love of their life wasn't dead. I looked down at my hands; my nails were bit down to the numb. _When did I start biting my nails? _I picked up my bag and headed toward the Great Hall.

I had realized I was early the moment I got there, the only people at the Gryffindor table were Harry and the other seventh years, the entire Ravenclaw table was full, there were only six Hufflepuffs, and the Slytherin table was empty except for Malfoy, who was eating his food very slowly. He looked up at me from the table; he was getting out of his seat. I nearly ran to the Gryffindor table and sat down across from Harry. Malfoy quickly sat back down.

"Hey, Hermione." Harry said as I sat down, frazzled. The moment I sat down, my plate filled itself. I bit down on some bacon and nodded to him.

"Umm…Harry, do I bite my nails?" I asked timidly. Harry stopped eating and looked up at me.

"_Yeah_, all the time, ever since Ron-" He cleared his throat awkwardly, "you've been doing it all year. Hey, it's Saturday; do you want to visit Hagrid?" He immediately changed the subject to spare my feelings. Every time he or someone else mentioned Ron, memories of him would flood my head and I would have to choke back tears.

"Sure, sounds great!" I fake smiled and continued eating. I looked over at the Slytherin table, Pansy and a few others had joined Malfoy. She was blabbering in Malfoys ears about _whatever, _but Malfoy was staring directly at me.

"Why are you staring at me, Granger?" He shouted from across the Hall, Pansy glared over at me, along with the whole school. I stood up from my seat and grabbed my bag before sticking my tongue out at Malfoy and strutting towards the door.

"Are you coming, Harry?" I called.

"But, my breakfa-"

"Harry!"

"Coming!" Harry rushed so fast to get out of his seat that he fell. Harry had seen my wrath (slapping Malfoy and making birds attack Ro-I don't remember who it was…) and didn't want to be a victim of it.

We were on our way to Hagrids when Harry stopped me. "Hermione, what happened with Malfoy this morning before breakfast?"

"Nothing, why?" I lied.

"Hermione, I have known you since our first year, I know when something's up." He put his hand on my shoulder.

"Honestly, what gives you the idea something's up?" I brushed his hand off my shoulder and (fake) cheerfully walked down the stone steps towards the hut.

"_Hermione_, you rushed as fast as you could to get to your seat, and your eyes were wet when you sat down. Something's up." He caught up to me and stood in front of me.

"Well, _maybe _it's because Ron's dead, my parents don't know who I am and I don't know where they are by now, and it's all my fault!" I pushed past him and ran up the stone steps in tears. "Tell Hagrid I'm sorry I couldn't make it!" I shouted from the top of the steps. Why was I crying so much? I had never cried like this before! What was wrong with me?

I was on my way to my dormitory when I ran into Malfoy. "Granger-" I pushed him out of my way and walked faster towards the portrait hole.

"Key lime pie!" I shouted at it.

"Oh dear, you sound angry! Would you like to talk about it?" The widow in the portrait asked.

"Key LIME _PIE!_" I shouted again, she frowned and opened up for me. As I was walking up the stairs I realized I wasn't alone.

"Granger-" I quickly ran into my room and slammed the door on his face before hopping onto my bed and crying. "Ouch!" I heard Malfoy say from my door. "That hurt!"

"I really don't care, you ferret!" I screamed into my pillow.


	3. He was there

"_What else did you take!" Bellatrix screamed in my face._

"_Nothing! I didn't take anything!"_

"_Crucio!" It was that pain again, I screamed. She stopped, I gasped for breath, but I couldn't breathe. I felt my lungs crying for air, I felt myself going. "Lucius, Cissy, Draco! I killed her! Come watch the light leave her muddy eyes!" I felt sleepy…I felt myself falling asleep. The last thing I saw before sleeping was Draco laughing as he watched me die._

I threw myself out of bed and practically tripped my way out my room before banging on Malfoys door in tears. He opened the door and rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"You were there! How can you live with yourself after you just sat there while I was being tortured, and nearly killed by a barbaric werewolf! How could you!" I shouted at him. He looked at me, confused. Then he opened his mouth to speak.

"_What _are you _talking_ about?" He yawned and rubbed his eyes again.

"Malfoy Manor!" My voice cracked as I screamed in his face. He nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, well did I have a-"

"Would it just _kill_ you to be nice!" I shouted.

"Actually, yes, it would kill me!" He slammed his door and I heard him walk back to his bed. I slid down the side of the wall and cried, _what was I thinking?_ _Malfoys father _would_ kill him if he was nice to a muggle born. _I stood up and knocked _politely _on his door. "What now!" He opened his door so fast that I fell onto him. "Ah! She's attacking me! Someone help!" He pushed me off of him and was about to shut the door, I stopped it with my foot (great muggle trick most wizards don't think to do).

"No, I fell when you opened the door, Malfoy!"

"Oh, well…um…what did you want?" He rubbed his eyes again, but it wasn't sleepily this time, I looked closer to see them red and puffy. Had he been crying?

"I wanted to say I'm…um…sorry for yelling at you at this time of night, goodbye now!" I tried to walk back to my room, but Malfoy grabbed my wrist.

"Hermione-"

"What did you just say?" I snapped at him.

"Your name-"

"Yes, I know, but you've never called me that before!" I jerked my hand from his grip and looked at him quizzically.

"Well, we're seventeen! It's high time we stopped acting like children and started acting like adults." I crossed my arms, confused.

"Says the one who starts screaming like a girl the moment I fall on him." I muttered under my breath. "Well then, goodnight, _Draco_." I walked back to my room and shut the door. _Was I still dreaming, or had Mal- Draco actually…grown up a little? _I sat down on my bed and contemplated for a half an hour before falling asleep to dreams about two dark gray eyes staring at me from across the Great Hall.

The next two months went by as the last two had, nightmares every night, and the occasional crying over Ro- the past. Draco and I didn't talk to each other much, just because all we had to talk about before was how much we hated each other. So I ignored his ferret face, and he ignored my banshee nightmare screams.

"Hermione, could you tell me the answer to number five on our H.O.M. homework?" Pavarti asked as I sulked by the fire in the Gryffindor common room.

"A lot of people will say it's the third goblin war, but it's actually the second troll occupation of the ogres." I answered in a monotone voice before staring back into the fire.

"Hermione, I brought you some candy from Honeydukes, chocolate frogs and licorice wands!" Harry put his hand on my shoulder and placed the candy on my lap.

"Thanks, Harry." These were Ron's favorites. I looked down on one of the chocolate frog cards to see Harry, along with his biography. "Oh, look Harry. You're on the chocolate frog cards." I handed it to him as I bit down on a licorice wand.

"I wish Ron was here to see- I mean, oh that's cool!" He sat down on the sofa and pulled out his H.O.M. homework. "What's the answer to number five?"

"Ask Pavarti!" I told him coldly. He stood up and walked over to Pavarti.

"Harry! Did you hear? The charm Dumbledore put on the school to block apparations was broken during the war, now it doesn't work half the time!" I heard Pavarti tell him.

"I don't think _anyone_ is going to attack Hogwarts again with Harry Potter here!" Ginny shouted from a desk where she was studying for her N.E.W.T.s avidly. I agreed with Ginny, nobody would _dare _attack Hogwarts after the war.

"If anyone apparates out of school, I will take fifty points for each ditcher!" I shouted. Harry looked over at me in shock.

"There's Hermione!" He smiled and walked back and sat down before scribbling down the answer to his homework. I stared back into the fire. "Sometimes I just wish Ron's head will pop out of the fire by floo and tell us he is safe at the Burrow with the ghoul in his attic." He ran his hands through his hair and sighed, I saw a tear escape his green eyes. I stood up and gave him a hug before picking up my books and walking towards the portrait hole.

"Goodnight Harry, I'm going to sleep. It's been a long day." I fake yawned and pushed open the portrait and walked towards the west hall where the Head dormitories were. When I got up the stairs to my room I heard the portrait hole open again.

"Hello, Hermione." Draco muttered from the bottom of the stairs.

"Goodnight, Draco." I said to him as I shut my door to find Fenrir Greyback standing by my window.


	4. His choice

"Draco!" I screamed for him as I reached for the door, but before I could even turn the nob, Greyback had grabbed me and thrown me to the ground. "_Draco! Hel-" _Greyback held my mouth shut and smiled.

"Time for my midnight snack!" Greyback whispered. I kicked him in the face and ran to the door. "Clavisia!" (**Sorry I made up a spell; this one will lock a door from both sides and alohamora doesn't work**) I heard Greyback shout, I tried to open the door but it was locked from the inside.

"Alohomora!" it still didn't open. "_Draco_!" Why couldn't he hear me?_ The muffliato! _"Vox!" (**I made up another one, sorry! Counter curse for muffliato.) **Greyback grabbed me from around the waist and threw me into my bookshelf. "Draco!" Greyback banged my head on the bookshelf again, in an effort to make me unconscious. I pulled out my wand from my pocket and pointed it at his stomach. "Stupefy!" He was thrown by my spell onto the other side of my room. I crawled towards the door even though I knew it was enchanted to stay locked from either side. But I felt Greybacks claws scratch my ankles as he dragged me away from the door.

"You're not going anywhere; I've been craving you for a while now!" Greyback scratched my shoulder as he covered my mouth with his furry, clawed hands. I bit his hand and he released.

"Draco!" I shouted immediately.

"You bit me! Now it's my turn!" He was about to bite my leg when my door was blasted to pieces.

"Stupefy!" I heard Draco's voice shout, Greyback was thrown into the wall by the force of the spell. By the time the dust cleared, Greyback had his hand around my neck and his wand at my chin.

"Draco Malfoy, are you saving a mudblood? Oh I can't _wait_ to tell your fathe-"

"Avada Kedavra!" A green shot of light passed inches from my face and hit Greyback squarely in the chest. I got to my feet, ran to Draco, and hugged him; even I didn't see that coming.

I wept into his chest, "I thought this was over!" I cried. "I…I thought this was over! Thought it was…thought…it was" I felt sleepy all of a sudden, I couldn't keep my eyes open, and there were dark spots taking up my blurry vision. I couldn't hold myself up anymore.

The last thing I heard before drifting to sleep was, "Don't worry; I will always be _right there_ in the next room over."

…

"Hermione, are you waking up, dear?" I heard Madam Pomfrey say as I woke up. I opened my eyes, I was in the infirmary, it was probably late night, because Madam Pomfrey was in her nightdress, and it was dark. I heard a pit patter on the windows that was rain. "Oh, you're awake!"

"How…how long?" I asked groggily.

"Six days, it would have been shorter if you weren't scratched by a werewolf." She felt my forehead for a fever and cooled my water with her wand.

"Where's Draco?" I tried to get out of bed, but Madam Pomfrey gently pushed me back onto my pillow.

"He is being held at Azkaban Prison until you wake up for his hearing."

"What! What did he do?" I threw myself out of the bed and tried to run to the door, but my legs gave way and I fell to the ground.

Madam Pomfrey held me up and pulled me to the bed, "He used an unforgivable curse! He killed someone, sweetheart!" She tucked me back in bed and patted my head.

"He killed the most barbaric werewolf in the world! He saved my _life_, how can he be in trouble?" I shouted in objection.

"I know, he's the one who brought you in here. He was so _worried_ about you. But he did use the Avada Kedavra curse, that's unforgivable, you know!" She put the water in my hand. I tried to lift it to my mouth, but I couldn't even hold it up. I dropped it and it fell to the floor with a smash.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I looked over to see what I did.

"Oh, it's all right, see! Reparo!" The glass put itself back together and refilled the water. "All better! Your shoulder was scratched by Greyback and the venom disabled your nerves in your arm, the same thing happened with your legs and feet. Your strength has probably improved enough to let you stand or hold something for about two seconds by now." She stood up and grabbed a cardigan. "I'm going to tell Professor McGonagall you're awake so she can alert the ministry that they can schedule Mr. Malfoys hearing. Get some sleep, love." She hurriedly walked out of the door and put out the fires.

I couldn't believe it; Draco was in Azkaban for saving my life! I couldn't imagine how angry his father was: his son was in Azkaban for killing an ally and saving a muggle born. Lucius was going to _kill _him, literally.

The next morning Harry and Ginny came to see me. "Hey there, Hermione, we brought you candy!" Ginny ran to the seat next to me and handed me three licorice wands and treacle fudge.

"Thank you, Ginny." I bit down on a licorice wand and looked up at Harry. "Harry, treacle fudge is your favorite, are you sure you don't want some?" I asked teasingly. He licked his lips and stepped closer.

"Maybe just a little…" He reached for some, but Ginny slapped his hand.

"Harry! Honestly, that's Hermione's fudge!" She glared at him and he stepped back from the fudge. "Anyway, we're so glad you're awake! We have a lot to talk about. First of all: What happened?" She leaned in closer as I bit down on my licorice again.

"I guess…Fenrir Greyback escaped from Azkaban and wanted a midnight snack." I pointed to my shoulder.

"That mutt just won't give up, will he? I _still_ can't believe _Malfoy_ saved you." Harry said as he sat down on the side of the bed. "Oh, I'm on your leg!" He stood up.

"Don't worry; I can't feel anything in my leg or right arm." I pinched my leg to show him I couldn't feel anything and he sat back down. "Yeah, Draco saved me, I mean, who else could?"

"But, knowing Malfoy, he would have been _glad_ to watch the light leave your eyes." Harry muttered.

"Draco isn't a child anymore, Harry. He doesn't hate people for being muggle born anymore." I told him.

"Isn't a child anymore? He's still a Malfoy, Hermione!" He stood up and crossed him arms.

"A Malfoy who _saved my life_, me, a _mudblood_. If that isn't growing up, I don't know what is. Also, _he_ was the one who suggested we grew up and called each other by our first names." I took a sip of water (from my left arm) and set it down forcefully.

"Honestly, Hermione, he saves your life and all of a sudden you're okay with him?" Harry sat back down on my bed.

"He saved my life! Of course I'm okay with him! You know, the only reason he was mean to us was because if he wasn't, word would get to his father and Draco would get in big trouble! He was raised to hate us, and now he's old enough to make his own choices! And he _chose_ to save me!" I gasped for air because I didn't take breaths in between sentences. "I thought you had grown up when you decided to save _his_ life in the Room of Requirement, but I guess you still hold a grudge."

"That's exactly what I mean, though, Hermione! Just because I saved his life doesn't mean he trusts me! You saw him, telling that death eater he was on their side. He didn't even care that we saved his life!" Harry shouted.

"What would you say if you were him and you were about to be killed by a death eater and you happened to have death eater parents and a dark mark, Harry? What would you have done if you really didn't have a choice?" I asked him angrily.

"I would have said I was a death eater, waited for him to let his guard down, and killed the real death eater if I was in Malfoys situation." Ginny said, I had almost forgotten she was here.

"I guess…that might be good thinking." Harry admitted. "But that doesn't even mean he cared."

"He cared enough not to tell Bellatrix it was you at Malfoy Manor, and he knew it was you. Plus, that was before you even saved his life." I said, Harry sat back down and sighed.

"Okay, Hermione, so you trust him now?" Harry's voice had lowered itself and calmed down.

"Of course I don't trust him! Who _can_ I trust other than you, Ginny, and a few others?" I replied.

"Hermione, I think you're going about this just right. I think it's time we all grew up and forgot the past, I mean, Delilah Greenwaters called me names and put dungbombs in my bed in my first, second, and third years. But now, Delilah and I are inseparable! Harry, its time you forgave and forgot the past." Ginny stood up and looked Harry in the eyes, as though she was trying to hypnotize him.

"Fine, but I still don't trust Mal- Draco." Harry muttered.

"You don't have to." Ginny muttered back.


	5. The hearing

"Hermione, just tell them the truth. They all know he is innocent, this is just protocol." Professor McGonagall told me before we walked into Kingsley Shacklebolt's office at the Ministry for Draco's hearing. It had been two weeks after I had woken up and I had regained my strength and was able to walk again. She opened the door for me and I timidly stepped into the circular office. There were three chairs in front of a large desk where the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, sat waiting for us. I looked to my right to see Draco sitting on a loveseat with his father. Draco looked terrible, his hair was messy, his face was paler than usual, and he had very dark puffy circles under his eyes. He was trying to keep a distance from his father on the loveseat; he was practically sitting on the arm rest. I sat down in one of the chairs by the Minister's desk and put my hands in my lap.

"Hello, Minerva, good to see you." Kingsley nodded to McGonagall and then nodded to me. "Hermione, please state the situation you were in when Mr. Malfoy, perform the killing curse." He pulled out a note pad and a quill, waiting for me to speak.

"I trust you know Fenrir Greyback had escaped from Azkaban, sir." I said, he nodded. "Well, the enchantment on Hogwarts to block apparition had been damaged in the war, and he apparated into my bedroom for a snack. Draco, being the Head Boy, was right next door. He used the Reductor curse on my door and killed Greyback." I told him.

"Now, he also stupefied someone, was that you, or Fenrir Greyback?" Kingsley looked up from his notes as he asked me.

"Greyback, sir." I said in a monotone voice.

"Why do you think Mr. Malfoy saved you?" Kingsley asked.

"Because, if I was found dead in my room. Who do you think the prime suspect would be? He didn't just save me, he saved himself. He had his own reasons." I added that part to make sure Lucius thought his son was just saving me to save himself, even though I knew it wasn't true. I looked at Kingsley and nodded 'no' as I spoke to he would understand what I was doing. He nodded back in understanding.

"Draco Malfoy cleared of all charges!" Kingsley exclaimed. I wanted to be happy, but Draco's father would find that odd, so I stood up and walked to the door, but Lucius caught up to me.

"You're lucky my son pity's your dirty blood and spared you, but don't be sure to see him there to save the day next time, mudblood." He whispered angrily at me.

"Lucius, control your language in my Ministry!" Kingsley shouted from his desk ten feet away. Lucius was startled at Kingsley's excellent hearing. But I looked down to see George's newest version of the Extendable Ears; an ear that didn't even need to be extended attached to the floorboard. "Draco, you will go back to Hogwarts with Professor McGonagall and Miss Granger to resume your education immediately." Lucius frowned and rushed out of the room. Draco stood up from the loveseat and walked to McGonagall and me. We exited the office and headed to the fireplaces to go back to Hogwarts.

"Draco, are you okay?" I asked him quietly from behind McGonagall.

"Yes." He replied.

"I can't believe they held you in Azkaban for three weeks, that's mental!" I said quietly, McGonagall was rushing ahead of us so she couldn't hear us.

"Hermione, I think it's best if we don't talk to each other anymore, my father is angry enough as it is. I don't want him to take out his anger on you." He muttered and caught up to McGonagall. What did he mean? _"Don't be sure to see him there to save the day _next time_, mudblood." _Did Draco mean his father had plans to hurt me?

"Professor, I think it's time someone repaired the enchantment on the school." I heard Draco say to McGonagall.

"I agree, I have put that off for much too long." She replied as we walked into a fireplace. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Headmistresses office!" She shouted, the next thing I knew, I was in her office again. Draco rushed to the door, I rushed after him.

"Draco, wait!" I chased him all the way to the west hall and finally stopped him. "Dra-"

"I don't think you get it, Hermione! Just because Voldemort is dead doesn't mean his followers are! And my father _has_ and _will_ kill people who get in his way." He rushed towards the widow portrait.

"But Draco, he's your father, if you asked him to-"

"He doesn't care what I want! Plus, he used to hate you because you were muggle born, _now_ your one of the reasons Voldemort is dead. Also, I was put in Azkaban for saving your life, and you think my father is going to pretend none of that happened?" He stopped walking and looked at me, worried.

"Draco, he can't hurt anyone anymore." I said loud enough for only him to hear from down the hall.

"Hermione, you should get some sleep, you look terrible." He scratched his shoulder and strode towards the portrait. "Key lime pie." He muttered. I caught up before the portrait shut and ran up the stairs to catch him, but he shut the door before I could even say anything. I walked into my room slowly. The last time I had walked into my room I was attacked by a werewolf. I looked around, my bookshelf was toppled on the floor, and my wall had been cracked by the force of Greyback being thrown into it by the Stunner.

"Reparo." I whispered while I pointed it at the wall, the crack repaired itself. I tried to pull the bookshelf back up but I was still too weak. I knocked on Draco's door for help with the bookshelf but he didn't open.

"Draco, I just need some help lifting up my bookshelf." I knocked again.

"Just use a hover charm." He said from the other side. I sighed and walked back to my room and pulled back out my wand.

"Wingardium Leviosa." The bookshelf hovered over the floor and I placed it back on the side of the wall. Then I did the same with all the books that had fallen out, and went to sleep. That night I dreamt that Fenrir Greyback was killing me as Lucius Malfoy put a leash around Draco's neck and watched. Draco didn't even fight to get away from his father, he just stood and watched me die.


	6. Lycanthropy Immunitas

"Hermione, you're going to be late for breakfast." I heard Draco say as he knocked gently on my door. I opened my eyes; the light lying on my desk from the window told me it was raining today. I pulled the sheets off of my curled up body and stood up. I rubbed my eyes and slumped towards the desk chair where my uniform sat neatly folded. I changed slowly and picked up my bags before opening my door to see Draco waiting impatiently.

"Did you wait for me?" I asked as I leaned on the edge of my door. He scratched his cheek and looked at me.

"Yes, and now I'm very hungry, let's go." I followed him down the stairs and he held the portrait for me. We walked silently down the hall towards the Great Hall together. "Hermione, you do understand that you're in danger, right?" He whispered.

"Danger?" I stopped and put my hand on the cold stone wall.

"My father has plans for you." He turned and looked at me. I clenched my fist on the wall slowly.

"What do you mean, plans?" I asked him apprehensively. He strode towards me and put his hand on the wall inches from my own.

"I didn't want to tell you before, but we stopped at the Manor before the hearing and I heard him speaking with someone via Floo. He spoke about you and what a waste of human life you have proved yourself to be. He mentioned something about getting rid of you. I don't want you to get hurt; you've already got too much a burden on your shoulders." He pushed off the wall and walked to the Great Hall with his hands in his pockets. I squatted down next to the wall and thought, _Draco's father wants to kill me? He personally wants me dead? _I stood back up and ran back to the Heads dormitory, I wasn't hungry anymore.

…

"Hermione, open the door. Please!" I heard Ginny say from outside my door. I had been in my room for three hours thinking and I guess Draco told her the password. I stood up from the side of the window where I had watched the rain fall. I walked to the door and opened it just a sliver. She smiled and pushed it open more and nearly knocked me off my feet. "Hermione, you've missed two classes!" She handed me a piece of parchment and sat down on my desk chair. "Harry told me to give that to you, it's your homework."

"Nothing, I just overslept." I sat down on the edge of my bed and itched my forehead.

"Draco gave me the password and told me to check on you, now tell me what's wrong." She stood up and sat next to me.

"Draco's father wants to kill me." I murmured.

"I can't hear you."

"Draco's father wants to kill me." I said louder. She gasped and stood up.

"That bastard!" She kicked over my chair and ran her fingers through her hair angrily.

"Ginny, calm down!" I stood up and held her shoulders. "I think you should go, you shouldn't miss any classes because of me." I pointed her towards the door and opened it for her.

"No way! Not with Lucius Malfoy after you!" She stomped her foot and faced me.

"Then go tell Harry, and don't come back."

"Okay!" She rushed down the stairs and pushed open the portrait. I waited until I was sure she had gone and laughed. I walked to the portrait and opened it; I stood in front of the widow and crossed my arms.

"You should change the password before that happens again." I said and pointed my thumb in her direction.

"I agree; it is now 'banana sofa'." she whispered so nobody else would hear.

"Great, banana sofa." I whispered back. She smiled and opened the portrait and I hurried back up the stairs to my room and shut the door. It was still raining; I sat by the window and pulled out _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_. I read my favorite story; _The Fountain of Fair Fortune_. I reread it many times before setting it on my desk and sitting back down next to the window. I looked down at the lake through the rain, it was only lightly sprinkling, the lake looked so peaceful and serene. The giant squid breached over the unmoving water gracefully. I stood back up and threw on a coat and a hat; I looked back down at the lake and prayed that I could apparate within Hogwarts. I found myself standing on wet grass in the light rain next to the lake. I watched the rain fall around me; I looked over the lake, over the mountains, and then back down at my own feet. I felt the peace of the moment envelope me in warmth. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of the rain drops fall on my shoulders. I felt them getting gradually heavier, I opened my eyes. It was pouring now, I apparated back into my room and changed before walking to the Gryffindor common room to sit by the fire and sulk again.

"Hermione, you're out of your room!" Ginny hugged me the second I walked into the common room. "Oh! You're burning up! We've got to get you to the infirmary!" She rushed me out of the portrait and walked with me towards the infirmary. When it was finally in sight she stopped. "What were you doing outside by the lake today?"

"How did you know?" I asked, she smiled and patted my head comically.

"Hermione, I can see the lake from Professor Flitwicks classroom, and McGonagalls, and Sinistras. So kind of everybody saw you, or at least the ones who noticed. You shouldn't have been out there in the cold rain!" She pushed me into the infirmary and sat me down on a bed. "Madam Pomfrey! Hermione's got a fever." She shouted, "This shouldn't take long, Madam Pomfrey healed my flu in three minutes when I was sick in my third year. But I should go tell Harry you're out of your room." She waved and ran off to the common room, leaving me alone with Madam Pomfrey.

"You're back so soon, Hermione!" She walked to my bed and put her hand to my forehead. "Oh dear, you really are burning up!" Then she put her wand to my forehead and then listened to it. "Fifty four degrees Celsius! That can't be right; you can't get a fever like that from the rain! The only way you could have climbed that high would be…oh dear!" She gasped and ran to her office. She came back out with a large book and flipped it until she stopped at one of the pages, she looked closer and read aloud, "Lycanthropy…hmm…oh there it is! Lycanthropy immunitas…there are few people who can be bit by a werewolf and stay entirely human; however, lycanthropy immunitas can do nearly the opposite effect when scratched.

"A delayed reaction occurs when the cells are alerted of werewolf venom and fight it when the venom from the claws is nearly harmless. The cells are therefore fighting nothing and tire out the body while also heating it up to extreme temperatures. The werewolf's claw venom is permanent in the body of a lycanthropy immunitan but the cells don't know that, so they continuously fight the venom and ignore any other illnesses. The body's temperature will continue to rise and tire for forty-eight hours until it reaches its peak and- oh my! We have to get you to St. Mungos! You wait here!" She rushed out of the infirmary and I heard her shouting for Professor McGonagall. I had lycanthropy immunitas, why hadn't I ever read about that? I felt tired, hot, and nauseous. I laid on the bed and stared out the window, it was still raining cats and dogs. I fell asleep to the sound of the rain beating on the windows. 


	7. Christmas Eve Vale

"Hermione, I didn't know you were a lycanthropy immunitan!" Ginny shook me. We were in the Creature Induced Injuries ward on the first floor. It had been a week since I was diagnosed as a third degree lycanthropy immunitas scratch victim. It was Christmas Eve and the Weasley's and Harry came to see me. The healers had stabilized my fever and slowed down the movement of the cells, but I had to stay for the Christmas holidays for a full evaluation, because apparently, the last lycanthropy immunitan case they had was over two hundred years ago. "That's proof that you're related to Hector Dagworth-Granger!"

"How?" I asked.

"Well, first of all, muggles can't have lycanthropy immunitas, and your parents are muggles. Plus, every muggleborn has some distant relation to a squib, and I heard that there were rumors that Hector Dagworth-Grangers daughter's son was a squib, and that _his_ daughter was a lycanthropy immunitan! Gosh, for such a smart girl, you really don't do your homework!" I couldn't believe Ginny knew that much about lycanthropy immunitas and Hector Dagworth-Grangers family rumors from nearly two hundred years ago, and I didn't.

"How do you know all that?" Harry asked her the same question I was about to.

"Well, when I heard that you were a lycanthropy immunitan, I got a hunch, so I went to the library and looked through all the books on lycanthropy and great potioneers like Hector Dagworth-Granger. There was an entire page on Hector in one of the books, that's where I found Daily Prophet clippings on his squib grandson's lycanthropy immunitan daughter. Then I looked through the lycanthropy textbooks and found a page on lycanthropy immunitans, and that's where I pieced it all together." She poked my arm and smiled at her family.

"Wow, you pulled a Hermione, Ginny!" George messed up her hair and sat down in one of the seats that Mr. Weasley had conjured.

"Well, you should all go, it's Christmas Eve! I don't want you spending it in a hospital with me. Hippocrates Smethwyck says I can leave tomorrow morning, and I am going straight to the Burrow to finish the holidays! Don't worry about me and go home to a guaranteed fabulous dinner you lot!" I hugged everybody and they left reluctantly. Then Augustus Pye brought me the worst Christmas Eve dinner I had ever had along with my medical potion and was about to go to sleep when I had another visitor.

"Draco, won't your father kill you if knows you're here?" I asked him as he sat down in the chair next to me.

"My father doesn't know I'm here, he thinks I'm visiting some girl he wants me to marry, Astoria Greengrass or something. Bu this was the only chance I had to make sure you were okay, which you are, I trust?" He looked over his shoulder at the window, which from the muggle eye, would seem boarded up. He seemed to have a nervous tick to him.

"Yes, I'm fine, but why do you keep looking at the window?" I leaned over to get a better look at the window, even though I knew there was nothing there.

"Oh, just a great view of an alleyway." He leaned back in his chair and pretended to relax himself. I fell to sleep without realizing it and had the most vivid nightmare yet.

"_Draco!" I heard the cold voice of Lucius Malfoy shout from outside the hospital door. He strut in angrily, "Draco, what are you doing here!" He grabbed Draco by the sleeve and pulled him out of his chair; Draco had fallen asleep next to me and had woken up to his father's rage. _

"_I…I was going to see if she'd died yet! I wanted to be the first person to know she was f-finally dead!" He stuttered to his father. Lucius pushed him away and pointed his wand at me._

"_I know your lying, Draco." He muttered, "What have you done to my son, mudblood! Have you imperiused him!" _

"_No! He came here himself! Its time you realized that you can't control him anymore!" I shouted. I got out of the bed and pulled out my wand. I knew this was a dream, so I wasn't afraid to tell him the truth. "Draco doesn't want to be a death eater, he never did, and he came here to see if I was okay." Draco stood between us, there was fear in his eyes, he pointed his hand at his father._

"_Draco, your own father?" Lucius was appalled. He stepped back in sarcastic shock._

"_I have no father._ Avada Kedavra_!" The spell missed Lucius by a millimeter; I noticed Draco's hands were shaking._

"_Draco, Draco, Draco, you really think you can stop me, don't you!" Lucius laughed and pointed his wand at me again. "_Crucio_!" I fell to the ground, it was that pain again, but more real, more evil, there was more hatred filling my body than in my other dreams. _

_I grabbed the leg of my bed and writhed in the pain of the curse, my eyes were flooding with tears and my heart was pierced with hostility. I couldn't breathe, I gasped for air, but I couldn't get enough of it to fill my lungs. I was about to faint when it stopped. I looked up to see Lucius's wand at my nose, Draco was rooted to the spot. Lucius smiled and pulled me to my feet by the chin. _

"_How…did you know?" I asked. His smile widened. _

"_I put Extendable Ears 2.0 in Draco's pocket before he left." Draco reached in his pocket and pulled out a disembodied Extendable Ear, he dropped it in shock. "I knew there was something up from the moment I heard my son was in Azkaban for saving a mudblood. Now, I am going to kill you both, my son the wizard way, and you the muggle way. He walked me to the window and forced me to look down at the alley below, even though the ward was on the first floor, we were five stories up on the outside. Lucius magicked away the glass and I felt the late night breeze whispering in my ears. _

"Avada Kedavra_!" I heard Draco shout from where he was rooted, I felt Lucius's hand fall limp on my head and I realized he was the only thing holding me up; I lost my balance and fell into the night. "No, Hermione!" I fell slowly, and watched Draco reached for my hand, but it was too late. I watched the Healers rush to the window, I watched as tears dropped from Draco's eyes, his hand still waiting for me to hold on. I felt the cold ground hit my back; that was when I realized this wasn't a dream._

I would never make it to the Burrow for Christmas, I wanted Draco to tell them what happened, I wanted him to be with them, I wanted them all to be at peace with each other. The look from Draco's face five stories up told me they would. I shut my eyes and smiled as I fell into a deep sleep knowing there would be no more nightmares.


End file.
